The next film I will be analyzing is The Day the Earth Stood Still. This is another apocalyptic film but the title sequence is set in the times before the event which would cause an apocalypse, unlike I am Legend which set 3 years after the event.
The logo of 20th Century Fox is show before the film starts. This is the name of the distributor.
The title sequence then begins straight away. The camera pans down through space - the stars are iconographic of science fictions films as there is always a space element used. The name of the distributor fades in straight away, as a reminder to the audience. The stark contrast between the colours allows the title to appear even bolder, allowing us to read it clearly.
The next two screen shots are similar to the first one. These are the names of the production companies in association with Fox to produce the film. Whilst these names appear on the screen, the camera continues to pan down. As the camera pans, the music slowly crescendoes as a way of creating tension.
The next piece of text to appear on screen is the names of the two main actors/actresses in the film. These names appear first as they are the big stars of the film. Again, the camera continues to pan down in a slow manner whilst the moon slowly appears from the bottom of the screen. This, along with the stars, is iconographic of science fiction as it is another space element. It is clear by now it is a science fiction film. As the names appear high notes of a string instrument are played - simulating a screeching sound - another way to effectively build tension. This type of music is most commonly heard in horror and science fiction films. It immediately makes the audience wonder what will happen next as the music builds as a way to introduce something - or someone.
Then the title of the film is shown. The camera has fully panned down onto a location. We see the moon in the background. This instantly create an enigma for the audience. Where are we? What is it's significance? The clever use of the moon and an eclipse is used to create the 'oo' which adds even more of a science element. The colours used are all primarily dark which successfully creates a dark mysterious atmosphere. As the title is shown, the background music continues to drone as the notes crescendo. This creates even more of a sombre mood as the tension rises, signifying that the events that are about to happen could be fatal.
The next scene opens up with mountains in India. It is then clear that the location we saw in the previous scene is Earth and the view we saw was from on top of the mountains. It sets the scene very well and even shows signs of an action enigma. It teaches the audience the location of where the movie is set and when it was set as it gives us a date. The sound of wind howling can be heard and is the dominant sound within this scene - this is used to further the fact that it is set on a mountain in the middle of a blizzard. The music from the previous scene has faded out, allowing the audience to give their full attention to the sound of the blizzard. Again, the colours remain dark and dull, to convey the sombre mood of the title sequence. The only light that can be seen is in the background, blurred from snowstorm. This perhaps signifies that even in the darkest of places, there will be light, perhaps foreshadowing the ending of the film. However, it could also foreshadow that the boundaries of good and bad people are blurred when a disastrous event takes place.
The next couple of clips are of a man alone in a tent on the side. He is performing simple tasks, like collecting ice and cleaning his equipment. The next names to appear are known as the 'co-stars' who still have a role in the film but it's not as significant and the top actors. These names are often placed after the title because they aren't as well known as the main stars or because they're roles within the film aren't as significant. The shots change from a medium long to a close up. This can be used to introduce the character as we can see him in his full form and then the close up shows us his actions. In this case, the shot is used to show up his climbing equipment to convey to the audience that he is an explorer or mountain climber. There is the sound of him scraping metal against metal as he sharpens his cleats, perhaps showing us that he's been hiking for hours or even days as his equipment looks worn down, as if he's explored many times before. The cleats aren't as sharp and the metal looks rusted and this creates a sense of danger as the audience may worry for his safety. The only sound we can here is the blizzard muffled from inside the tent and the flaps are blowing ferociously in the wind. This is used to connote the audience that the snow storm is incredibly harsh and potentially dangerous as it could destroy his shelter any minute. Another sound effect used is of the gas cooker as the man heats a pan of ice. This can be used to signify that the storm is so strong, he is doing everything he can to survive it, which includes heating down ice and snow to make water.
The man then leaves the tent and another co-star's name appears on screen. The use of white text works well with the dull background of the location. The shot becomes a medium shot as we see the man look into the distance. Again, the sound of the wind howling can be heard. Slow string instruments are heard along with a low drone of bass, which creates a sombre mood as it drones and slows down as he moves away from his tent.
It then becomes a POV/over the shoulder shot as we see what the man is looking at. It appears to be a bright light seen from behind another mountain edge. This instantly creates an enigma as the audience wonder What is this light? Where is it coming from? The camera is at a low angle to highlight the importance of this light by making it appear more dominant as it is higher in the scene than the man. When we see the light the music slows down even further as it allows us to give our attention to the light. The only sound that doesn't change is the snow storm which can be used to remind us of its everlasting presence.
The next shots are of the man walking up the mountain to the source of the light. The camera switches to a wide long shot as you can still see the character whilst still giving room for text to appear of more names without taking the attention away from the man. It is at a slight high angle which can be used in correlation with the location to give a sense to the audience of how steep the mountain slope is. Again, the continuous sound of the wind howling in the blizzard can be heard - this is the dominant sound effect of the entire opening sequence. The music picks back up again as more strings are added in. This creates a more majestic tone to the scene and leads the audience into the false hope that everything will be okay.
The next several shots are of the man climbing up the mountain whilst several names of key crew member appear on screen. These are critical when creating a title sequence as they are a part of the typical conventions. They include editors, casting directors, costume design etc. As he continues up the mountain, the pitch of the music alters with his movements, as a way of showing his journey. The music and the sound of the blizzard are equal, however, the blizzard slowly crescendoes as the sequence continues. A woman begins to harmonise, creating a melody. It sounds almost angelic, as if this light will be heavenly or even anything close. This is a good example of slightly contrapuntal music as it doesn't quite match the scene - it leads the audience further into a false sense of security. As he climbs up the mountain the shots change between close ups, medium shots and medium close up. These can be used to quicken the scene instead of using one long shot - it could represent the passing of time as it takes him a while to reach his destination.
When we see the globe of light for the first time, the music slowly diminuendos and we are able to give are full attention as to what is happening on screen. Again, it is a wide medium shot so we can see both a globe and the man together in the same shot. The sound of the blizzard also has faded away apart from the slow low hum of it howling. He then reaches out to touch it and the screen fades to white as the light takes over and the man passes out. The music fades away too, leaving no sound.
Then the man is seen again in a series of close up shots of him lying on the ground. We see his axe and as the camera pans along over his arm, we see his face as he is passed out in the snow. The sound of the blizzard picks up again as he wakes up. There is no light anymore, only the return of the dim and darks colours, returning back to the sombre mood given at the beginning of the sequence. Any hope the audience felt has gone.
The man then sits up, moving to a medium shot as the camera zooms out. The shot is wide, allowing us to see the globe has disappeared, leaving an obvious mark in the mountain side. As the man realises this along with the audience, a droning screech is heard in the background, creating a sense of eeriness and creates an enigma. Where has it gone? What was inside of it? Whilst this is happening, the name of the screenplay writers appear on screen, telling us who wrote it. The man then checks his hand and we see a hole in his glove and a mark left behind from when he touched it. This is in a close up to show the significance that something that seems so harmless can still scar us.
The only representations that are highlighted are similar to ones found in I Am Legend and that is that males are seen as the stronger sex. This is because the man is alone on the mountain, trekking through dangerous weather, risking his life to explore an unknown place, doing whatever he can to survive in these conditions - similar to Neville in my previous post.
That's all for today's post. I'll continue analysing more title sequences in the upcoming week.
Until next time,
Toni
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